Exclusive Look Inside Scheid Diesel's Triple-Turbo Super Stock Puller

This kind of opportunity comes along once in a lifetime, and one it's one that'll make you all glad you're Diesel Power readers. Traditionally, professional diesel sled pullers won't tell you anything about their pulling trucks, and for years, most wouldn't even let you see their engines. It's not because sled pullers are secretive people by nature, it's because the level of competition is so high, they can't risk letting out any of their secrets-until now, that is!

In the sled pulling and drag racing world, there is one name that is synonymous with diesel performance-Scheid Diesel. With three locations smack-dab in the heartland of the United States, there's not a diesel sled puller in the country who's not familiar with the Scheid name. And for good reason, Dan Scheid's organization is a full-service diesel company that offers everything from diesel repair and maintenance to modifications and performance parts. But the one aspect that really gets this family run business excited is their motorsports program.

This Scheid Diesel Super Stock pulling truck has been in the works for more than a year and a half, but the 5.9L Cummins under the hood is a culmination of more than 39 years of working on competitive diesel engines. When the truck debuted at the TS Performance Outlaw Sled Pull, there was a crowd gathered around the trailer to see it roll into the public eye for the first time. Even Scheid's competitors (many of whom are good friends and business associates of the Scheid family) were on hand to check out the new machine before the pull that night. Yet only Diesel Power had the honor of seeing the triple-turbo Cummins firsthand and can give you the inside story of what goes into a 2,000hp race engine like this.

There's Only Four Dodge Parts In The Whole TruckWe know it looks like an '09 Dodge Ram, but it's actually a custom-built vehicle that uses a fiberglass body fitted to a chromoly tube chassis built by Engler Machine in Princeton, Indiana. In fact, the only four Dodge parts in the whole truck are the cylinder head, engine block, and the door handles. The rest was either built by Scheid Diesel, or to Scheid's specifications, using components designed for competitive sled pulling.

The body was fitted to the chassis by McKinney Corp Race Cars in Lafayette, Indiana. McKinney Corp's attention to detail is stunning, and unlike many other Super Stock pulling trucks that feature lift-off bodies, this truck's doors and hood actually open and close.

Triple-Turbo 5.9L CumminsThe first thing everyone notices about the engine is the dual exhaust stacks-and that's just what Dan Scheid was hoping for. He's always liked the look of dual exhaust on Super Stock pulling tractors, so he thought it was about time to build a truck with them, too.

The exhaust is connected to an exotic-sounding, yet simple-appearing, triple-turbo system that pairs two Holset HX80s together as the low-pressure turbo stage before feeding compressed air to a third HX80 high-pressure turbo. From there, the compressed air is routed through an air-to-ice water intercooler mounted inside the truck. Then the air is ducted into a Scheid Diesel aluminum intake manifold that feeds more than 100 psi of boost to a 12-valve Cummins cylinder head.

The 12-valve head was fitted with Scheid Diesel roller rocker arms, and larger Inconel valves with titanium springs and retainers. In order to keep the cylinder pressures contained, Scheid Diesel machined the block with a receiver groove around each cylinder and installed six fire rings and a copper head gasket. The block was reinforced with water-jacket filler and machined for 14mm head and main studs. The stock flat-tappet camshaft was then upgraded with a steel roller cam and roller lifters that were specially bushed with new guides for optimum valvetrain stability at 4,500 rpm.

The rotating assembly is based on a production Cummins crankshaft and can use either Scheid Diesel's specially prepared stock Cummins connecting rods (fitted with high-strength rod bolts), or a set of billet steel connecting rods that are in the engine now. Working with Arias Pistons, Scheid Diesel designed a set of low-compression forged aluminum pistons that survive the merciless heat and loads seen under pulling conditions.

12-Cylinder P-PumpThe fuel system is based on a Bosch inline injection pump that looks similar to the P7100 pump found on '94 to '98 Dodge trucks. Except, instead of having six fuel plungers, this Scheid Diesel P-series pump (originally from a Deutz 12-cylinder diesel) has 12 plungers. Scheid Diesel adapted this pump using one of its aluminum timing covers and special fuel lines to combine two injection lines for each injector. The result is more than 1,000 cc of fuel delivered to each injector over a very short duration-and it makes the engine sound wicked!

With all that fuel, the cylinder temperatures are controlled by a Scheid Diesel water injection system that sprays 500 psi of water into the intake in 10 locations. The water injection pump is driven off the engine's timing gear set, and the system is designed to begin injecting water when the boost levels reach 70 psi. By the time the engine reaches 100 psi of boost, the water injection system is completely on and regulates the exhaust gas temperatures to approximately 1,400 degrees. Should the exhaust gas temperatures reach 1,500 degrees, the Corsa data logger sets an alarm and initiates an additional stage of water injection to cool the engine. The engine will consume 1 to 1 1/2 gallons of water during each pass.

Getting Behind The WheelWhen we asked Kent Crowder, the driver of the Scheid Diesel Super Stock puller, what it's like to run a machine like this, he told us with a laugh, "It's just another day in the office." He said that not only does he work on the truck, but he also hauls it to each event and prepares it before each pull. He joked that when fans ask him what's in the trailer, he tells them he's "just the driver. They don't even give me a key to the trailer."

When Kent pulls up to the sled, however, all joking stops. When the truck is hooked to the chain, Kent uses the hand throttle to bring the engine speed up slowly and get all three turbos spinning. As the engine reaches 4,000 rpm, the counterweighted Hayes clutch grabs enough that the truck can begin to move the sled before the clutch is fully released. At this point, Kent has the throttle at roughly 75 percent and releases the clutch to begin the pull. Within the first 60 feet, Kent pulls the throttle back to 100 percent and steers his way down the track with his left hand. He said if all goes well, he'll "feel the weight box on the sled top out and if I'm still moving-I know I've got something good going on."

In the stands, the crowd goes nuts every time this truck pulls. Dan Scheid observes the run from off to the side and evaluates the truck's 60-foot time and vehicle speed. With all of his diesel dragster experience, Dan has learned that both diesel motorsports are typically won or lost in the first 60 feet. At the end of the pull, the Corsa data logger is downloaded and Dan and Kent review the information as if the engine had just made a pull on their dyno back in the shop. To fully appreciate this truck, you really need to see it in action. Take our advice and head out to the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds in Terre Haute, Indiana, for the Scheid Diesel Extravaganza (www.scheiddiesel.com) on August 28-30. You won't get to see the engine in person, but you will feel its power.